13-1-70 14-9-70 15-1-70 Racer is unira in Premier Series THE sixteenth International Lady Wigram Trophy event on Saturday will constitute the third round in this year's sevenrace Tasman Championship, the premier motor racing series in the Southern Hemisphere. Second in the Levin international race on January 3, Max Stewart, is the second member of the Wildren- Waggott team and is one of Australia's leading drivers. Points towards the series are awarded to the first six home in each race on the basis of 9, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 for first to sixth places. • The series was introduced in 1964 and was won on that occasion by the New Zealand international driver Bruce Me- Laren, with a Cooper-Climax. A New Zealand international, Chris Amon, won the title last year, with a 2.4 litre Ferrari V6, but on all other occasions it has been won by United Kingdom drivers. • With the introduction of For- ¡ mula A-5000 cars and rolling starts the series has taken on a new look for 1970. A new South Island saloon car championship series will be inaugurated at Wigram Know as the Mereury $1000, it is open to the popular "any- New Zealand's motor racing man of the moment is Wel lington's Graham MeRae, the 1969 National Formula champion and current leader in the national Gold Star series. If his 5 litre Cherrolet. - engined McLaren NI0A proves to be reliable, he should be the man to beat in the Lady Wigram Trophy race._ ¡thing goes" Allcomer cars as well as those that race under the New Zealand Saloon Car Championship regulations, in which the engine capacity limit is 5.5 litres. The Mercury series will comprise seven races, the other meetings being at the Canterbury Car Club's Ruapuna Park circuit, the South Canterbury Car Club's Levels circuit and the Southland Sports Car Club's Teretonga Park. In addition to the $1000 prize to the highest points scorer, the promoting clubs are offering substantial stakes for their individual events and so the series has attracted all the country's leading saloon drivers. As the points scale increases at each successive meeting, drivers will have to contest alli events if they are to have winning chances. Chris. Amen, one of New Zealand's leading international drivers, won the Tas man Championship with a 2.4 litre Ferrari last year and shared a new Lady Wigram Trophy lap record of 105.08 miles an hour with the race winner Jochen Rindt. 16th INTERNATIONAL LADY WIGRAM TROPHY RACE R.N.Z.A.F. STATION, WIGRAM-SATURDAY, 17th JAN. ADULTS $1.50, CHILDREN 50c, CARS 50c ENTRANTS INCLUDE RON GRABLE (U.S.A.) -.. MCLAREN M10A GRANDSTAND SEATS $2.50 each MIKE GOTH • (Vascin) SURTEES TS5 MICHAEL CAMPBELL (U.S.A) - FORSGRIN: FORD INCLUDING ADMISSION DERER BELL (U.K) - BRABHAM FORD ULF NORINDER (SWEDEN) LOLA T190 Now on sale at D.l.C Booking MAX STEWART (AUSTRALIA) -.. MILDREN WAGGOTT KEVIN BARTLETT (AUSTRALIA) MILDREN. WAGGOTT Office NEIL ALLEN (AUSTRALIA) MCLAREN MIOB FRANK MATICH (AUSTRALIA) = MCLAREN MIOA Race Day Sales at Booths behind GRAEME LAWRENCE (N.Z.) FERRARI V6 Stands GRAEME MCRAE (N.Z) MCLARER MIDA TWO STANDS, one opposite Start- Full day's racing including Finish and one at the "loop" Saloon Cars, Sports Cars BE THERE! and Motor-cycles. Wigram Cars Receive Their Final Checks By Peter Greenslade garages throughout the city to-day mechanics were making final checks on the Formula A-5000 and Tasman Formula cars in preparation for to-morrow's qualifying trials for the 100-mile Lady Wigram Trophy race on Saturday aiternoon. Some drivers put in some! Positions for the trophy track testing at the Canter-race rolling startthe first bury Car Club's Ruapuna Park time this starting method has circuit during the dadamn been used at Wigram- will be Australian , determined by the preliminary Kevin Bartlett and his team- race placings. mate Max Stewart, of the Sydney-based Alec Mildren Racing Dragster Team. Bartlett was particularly An added attraction al anxious to try out the Aus Wigram on Saturday will be a on run by Girl be tralia designed and built Wag- demonstration run by Graham gott engine which is being used Withers, the Australian drag in both the Mildren entries this record holder, in his Chrysleryear. powered Ampol GT. His two-litre version has not Withers has covered the been delivering as much power standing : quarter-mile in 7.77 as the smaller 1850 c.c. engine sec in this supercharged drags in Stewart's car and this week ster which runs on nitro• Mr Mery Waggott, the engine methane fuel. designer and builder, has been That time represents working on it in Christchurch. | terminal velocity of more than 190 miles an hour and, accorde Hopeful ing to reports, Withers believes he can break the 200 miles am Generally regarded as the hour barrier at Wigram on the New Zealander most likely to long back straight. win at Wigram on Saturday, Graham MeRae, of Wellington, has been out of luck in the international races held so far, but he said last night that his Chevrolet-engined McLaren MIDA was in much better shape than it was for the Levin and Pukekohe internationals. He was looking forward to Wigram because he felt it was a circuit ideally suited to the, car and, indeed, the other big American V8s which are favoured this year by the majority! of the overseas entrants. liminary.